NASHVILLE - Tennessee environmentalists said Monday they will try to persuade the Bredesen administration and Tennessee lawmakers to restore $20 million in state funding for parks and land acquisitions.
Other legislative priorities for the Tennessee Conservation Voters, a statewide coalition of 25 environmental organizations, include opposing ongoing efforts by some lawmakers that, according to conservationists, would weaken stream and river protection and lead to higher levels of selenium in water.
"While Tennessee's making great strides ... we have a long way to go," said Tennessee Conservation Voters Vice President Bill Terry.
The group also will continue its years-long push for a ban on so-called "mountain top removal" through restricting the issuance of coal-mining permits in areas that would alter ridge line vistas and lead to the pollution of streams.
The conservation fund, which comes from a portion of the state's Real Estate Transfer Tax, provides dollars for programs in state park land acquisition and wetland protection. The money has been taken from the funds as the state grapples with ongoing revenue shortfalls and cuts.
Environmental activists said the state has numerous endangered sites, including bluffs near Fall Creek Falls State Park, which are now for sale. The bluffs are within site of Buzzard's Roost, a cliff located near Millikan's Overlook.